A visual journal of what I drank

As you may know, I’m a big fan of Nocino, the velvety, warming, sweet and nutty Italian liqueur made from green walnuts. In January, I gave you three ways I like to use Nocino – as an aperitif, in a milk punch, and in a citrus-and-chocolate-and-bourbon holiday bomb. Here’s another way I just discovered, in time for a friend’s holiday cocktail party where I plan on making everyone very, very happy indeed.

I know a lot of people who claim that they don’t like gin. I get it – they’re used to cheap gin and shitty tonic, coming together to make an unbalanced, watery, unpleasantly bitter lime-soaked concoction that they associate with curmudgeonly old men. But – bear with me. I used to be a gin hater, too. My change of heart came after trying some of the newer, more creative gins out there, specifically this one, and realizing that gin, far from being a bland foil to quinine-laced tonic, could actually be a flavorful, complex, and incredibly satisfying drink all on its own.

Look no further: I bring to you the only alcoholic beverage you will need to make this summer that will please every type of drinker at all of the BBQs, picnics, and parties you will be attending. No joke – people go NUTS about these slushies. Everyone. The best thing is, they’re dead simple and crazy cheap to make. Guys, I think I just made you the most popular person in your friend group (unless you’re in my friend group, in which case I am currently the most popular… yeah!).

Last week I was having drinks with coworkers (prior to seeing this movie, yeah!) and we, naturally, started talking about our favorite cocktails and what we make at home. A coworker’s fiancee mentioned that she’d like to figure out what she needs for a basic home bar, but didn’t know where to start. She mentioned that rye is her favorite spirit, and it immediately got me thinking about how I’d build a basic home bar, centered around rye, that would allow you to throw together a few basic but solid cocktails without too much fuss.

This past weekend, a group of friends and I made our inaugural trip to the Sierras to kick off the summer. But May is a fickle month, and while in some years May is a warm and sunny preview of the summer to come, this year it was cold, drizzling, and dreary. Though our cabin is quite small and usually depends heavily on the use of the deck for accommodating large groups of people, we managed to keep our sanity and entertain twelve people for two nights in part thanks to this boozy and warming cocktail (and forcing two people to sleep in the kitchen).